Stuff YOU Should Know
A Civic Debate
Have you taken a civics class in middle school or high school? Credit: McGraw-Hill Education
Does your school require you to take a civics class? Probably not. Civics classes focus on the study of U.S. government, history, and democracy. One of the reasons why our country first set up a widespread public education system was to create informed and active participants in the government. Until the 1960s, it was common for American high school students to take separate courses in civics and government. But as the emphasis on standardized testing increased, schools began to focus on “core” curriculum, leaving few resources for classes like civics. Today, only nine states and the District of Columbia require a full year of civics education. The result? As of 2017, only 25 percent of U.S. high school students achieved “proficiency” on the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) Civics Assessment. And the numbers for minority students are far lower.
Related Link: Use this collection of civics information from the Election Central Web site to explore aspects of civics education and citizenship.
So why does this matter? Studies show that students who are exposed to civics classes are more likely to vote, discuss political issues at home, volunteer in their communities, contact their elected officials and participate in government themselves. Furthermore, civics classes teach valuable skills such as critical thinking and civil debate. It’s even been shown that civics education makes a school’s climate more positive and helps to lower the dropout rate.
In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, many educators are refocusing on civics education. They point to the fact that young adults ages 18 to 24 have the lowest voter turnout rate, and that the majority of high school students can’t name a single freedom guaranteed to them under the Constitution or any of the three branches of government. These educators emphasize that their job shouldn’t be to teach to a test; rather, it should be to create thoughtful, informed citizens for the future.
What Do You Think? Does your school offer a civics class? If not, write a letter to the school newspaper describing why you think it’s important to offer one.
Belize’s Good News
With climate change, severe weather events, and ever-increasing numbers of endangered and extinct animal species, it feels like environmental news these days is always bad. But the tiny country of Belize offers a ray of hope: UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) has removed the Belize Barrier Reef–the largest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere–from its list of endangered World Heritage Sites.
The reef, which is roughly two hundred miles long, was originally added to The List of World Heritage Sites in Danger in 2009. Since then, the government of Belize has halted all oil exploration and drilling in the areas around the reef, and worked to protect delicate coastal mangrove forests, with promising results.
Though this is excellent news, it’s important to remember that there’s still much work to be done. In 2015 and 2016, almost a quarter of Belize’s coastal reefs were affected by bleaching, which is when rising water temperatures case the reefs to die off. Any further bleaching would be devastating. The reef was first designated as a World Heritage Site in 1996, and is home to nearly 1,400 animal species. About 200,000 people–half of Belize’s entire population–are dependent on the reef for their livelihood. The improved health of the Belize reef shows that, when government and environmental groups work together, it’s possible to halt and even reverse environmental damage.
Dig Deeper Use internet resources to learn about Belize’s Great Blue Hole. Where is it, what is it, and how would it be affected by environmental changes to the reef?
Thailand Boys Trapped in Cave Found Alive
Last week, a team of twelve youth soccer players, ages 11 to 16, and their coach, age 25, were trapped in a cave in northern Thailand for six days. The group, after a practice the previous Saturday, entered the seven-mile-long Tham Luang cave complex, despite signs warning people to stay away from the area from July to November (Thailand’s rainy season, during which heavy rainfall can cause flooding in the caves). Sure enough, it started to rain after the boys entered the cave system, and the team became trapped. At times, the water level inside the cave rose by as much as twenty feet.
The story of the trapped boys garnered international attention, and several countries have come forward with assistance. The United States sent a team of seventeen Air Force rescue-survival specialists. Britain sent two expert cave divers. These joined the more than fifty family members, hundreds of soldiers and rangers, dozens of journalists, and Buddhist monks waiting and praying near the cave’s entrance.
On Monday the news brok that the boys and their coach have been found alive inside the caves, about 440 yards away from the Pattaya Beach area of the caverns that have a higher area and is big enough to have plenty of air. However, rescuers now face the challenge of how to get them out safely as water levels inside the caves continue to rise. Everyone is worried about the possibility of malnutrition and hypothermia among those who have been trapped after nine grueling days. Two of the boys also have asthma complications to consider as well. Rescuers inserted a small infrared camera to locate the boys location and allow them to pinpoint rescue efforts. Thai soldiers are working to pump excess water out of the caves, and two drones equipped with heat detectors have been employed to assist with the effort. Unfortunately, heavy rains are forecasted to continue.
Dig Deeper Find the Tham Luang Nang Non caves on a map. What other two nations do they border?
Changing History
If you’re planning on taking AP (Advanced Placement) classes in the future, then here’s a change that might affect you. As of the 2019-2020 school year, the College Board, which is the nonprofit company that owns AP, has decided that the AP World History course will now only cover material from the year 1450 forward, leaving out the thousands of years of history that came before. Instead, that earlier material will be transplanted into a new series of AP courses called “Pre-AP World History and Geography.”
The College Board argues that this change is necessary because of complaints from students and teachers that the original course contained too much material to fit into a single class. But there are also many problems with this new approach. First, schools will now have to fund more courses in order to cover the same material as before. This hurts students in lower-income districts. (Each “pre” course will cost schools between $1,200 and $6,500.) Also, ancient history is vital to understanding what came later. And perhaps most importantly, by cutting out everything before the 1400s, the new course will likely be too centered on European/Western history. For example, some critical events that will no longer be covered include the creation of first civilizations, the emergence of trade routes, and the entire history of pre-colonial Africa and the Americas.
The College Board has acknowledged the validity of these concerns and has agreed to reinstate some of the material that was slated to be cut, though they say that they will still shrink the amount of information that students will see on the AP exam.